Typically, online publishers, such as online media companies and other publishers of articles, stories, and other electronic content, provide their content on online web pages. Users often share websites and online content with other users. This sharing can be done in many forms, such as sharing of content-provider generated uniform resource locators (“URLs”) or “links” based on selection of a “share” button or a simple cutting-and-pasting of a URL and then forwarding it by various messaging techniques including e-mail, online chat service, social medial platform, SMS, and MMS, etc. The prevalent way to track sharing of links is based on activity within a browser-based user interface. For example, many websites include widgets or plug-ins by which users may enter the e-mail address or other identifier of the users with whom the initial user wishes to share the content. As a result, website owners can understand which users are sharing content, and whom they are sharing the content with.
However, it can be difficult for a content provider to efficiently track sharing of links of content accurately if a user shares a link using any other method which cannot be clearly tracked in a browser-based user interface, such as by copying the link and sharing it in a text message, or by sharing it through an operating system's “share” function. This difficulty can be especially difficult in the mobile environment where users are less likely to use a widget or other means that provides website owners with access to the addresses or other identifiers of a user's sharing recipients. For example, the tracking of sharing can be especially difficult if a user simply copies a URL and pastes it into a text message or e-mail.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming the above-mentioned challenges of tracking sharing of web-based content.